ColumbusSports.com : Your place to stay informed and talk about the sports scene and sports teams in and around Columbus.

Have you ever walked into a gym and said to yourself, “Okay, now what?”  Well guess what my friends; here are the top movements you need to incorporate into your exercise program to get the most out of your workouts.

They’re called primal patterns or prime movements.  These movements are what make up the basic movements of the body, and because of this, they incorporate multiple muscles and multiple joints when performing each exercise.  In order to get the most success out of your program, it’s a must to work as many muscles as you can with each exercise.  Since muscles are connected to joints, the more muscles you work, the more joints you also work.  These are called compound exercises, exercises that incorporate multiple muscle and 2 or more joints.
 
It doesn’t matter what your goal is, the more muscles you can work with each exercise, the faster the results.  From a weight loss standpoint, since muscle burns off calories, the more muscles used in an exercise, the more calories burned off, and the faster you’ll lose weight.  The more muscles incorporated into a muscle-building exercise, the faster the body will gain extra muscle.  In order to run fast, you don’t tiptoe along; you incorporate your arms, your core, all kinds of muscles in order to run faster.  Every successful program relates to these six prime movements.

So here they are.

1.    Push – Movements such as pushups and chest presses are great exercises that incorporate multiple muscle groups.
2.    Pull – Movements such as rows are another great multiple-muscle exercise.
3.    Squat – The granddaddy of them all.  Every exercise program has to incorporate squats into it because it works so many muscles.
4.    Lunge – Another great multiple-muscle movement, and just like the squat, it works the legs, the biggest muscles in your body.  By working the biggest muscles in your body, you’ll increase the rate of achieving results such as burning off more calories for fat loss and releasing more growth hormones for putting on muscle (assuming that you’re taking the necessary steps to try to put on muscle).
5.    Bend – Exercises that utilize bending at the hips are great for strengthening muscles such as the hamstrings and low back.
6.    Twist – These movements cover the widest range of motion for your body, and because of this, they’re essential for improving balance, stability, core strength, etc.  Twisting exercises are the most effective exercises for the core, so when you’re talking about developing a “six-pack”, twisting movements are a “must have” in your exercise program.

Now granted, there’s definitely a level of progression for each one of these movements; that’s why it’s good to consult with a fitness professional.  For example, if you’re unable to do a squat with proper form, then it’s not smart for you to progress to attempting a single-leg squat.  Consulting with a qualified fitness professional will help you determine how to progress with each one of these movements.

Instead of going through a workout that is filled with simple exercise that isolate one muscle in the body, for example, biceps curls and crunches, make it a point to structure your workout with these prime movements.  By creating a program around these key movements, not only will it be more interesting, you’ll also be more efficient with your workouts and achieve your results in a lot less time.

Dan Falkenberg is the cofounder of Your Live Trainers.  He can be reached at DanFalkenberg.com.

Tags: exercise selection, muscle gain, program design, weight loss